As it Should Be
by LiaBelle
Summary: Danny has to reevaluate his feelings and actions when he learns that Lindsay is in trouble.


"Hey, Danny, can I ask you something?" Lindsay approached her kind of, sort of, not really boyfriend in the locker room as he prepared for his shift and she was preparing to go home after his.

"Not now, Monroe," Danny replied somewhat coldly before brushing past her and leaving the room.

Lindsay stood there in shock replaying their miniscule conversation in her head over and over again trying to make sense of this. Sure, Danny had been distant since the death of his friend Ruben, but he'd never been this rude and apathetic before. She tried to shake the thought that they were officially over before they'd really even began and rummaged through her locker finding the last few things she needed before going home.

She left the locker room in a daze, still not able to understand Danny's behavior.

"Heading out?" Stella asked her friend as she passed her in the hall.

"Yeah," Lindsay replied distractedly.

"Are you ok?" Stella asked. "You don't look so good."

"I've been better," Lindsay admitted.

"Danny?" Stella questioned.

Lindsay nodded. "He just totally blew me off for no reason. I just wanted to ask him a question and he acted like I was asking him to find out the meaning of life for me or something."

"He's been having a hard time, Linds," Stella felt the need to defend her "little brother."

"Yeah, well so have I, and I've come around, now haven't I?" Lindsay rolled her eyes and walked towards the elevator. "See you tomorrow, Stel." She threw over her shoulder so that Stella wouldn't think Lindsay was furious with her.

"Bye, Linds." Although Stella understood the pain that Danny was going through, she also understood that his pain was causing those he loved even greater pain. It was one thing to literally lose somebody you loved through death, but it was a totally different story to lose somebody that you have to see every day. With that thought, she turned on her heel and began to seek out Danny.

"Messer!" She found him in the hallway on the way to Trace.

Danny stopped at the sound of Stella's voice and waited for her to catch up with him. "What's up, Stel?" he asked blankly.

"You've gotta snap out of it," Stella reprimanded him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

Stella rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what I mean, Danny."

Danny's façade broke slightly and he had the decency to look a little guilty. "I can't do it, Stel." He told her.

Stella glared at him. "That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard," she informed him. "You're throwing away everything that you have. You know that right?" Her rhetorical question stung Danny slightly. Stella realized this, but frankly, she just didn't care. "Lindsay is the best thing to ever happen to you and you're pushing her away and treating her like she's garbage. She doesn't deserve that, Danny, and you know it!"

Stella's phone beeped just then indicating that she had received a text message. She took a break from yelling at Danny and opened the message. Her eyes widened as she read Lindsay's frantic message. "Danny, we've got to go," she said, tugging on Danny's arm.

"What? Is there a scene?" he asked.

"No, it's Lindsay!" This prompted Danny to immediately follow Stella on her way to find Mac. She found her boss in his office and barged in without knocking.

"Mac, Lindsay's in trouble!" she exploded.

Mac's head snapped up from the paperwork he was filling out upon hearing this statement. "What's wrong?" he asked, standing up.

"Two armed men just entered the drug store she's in. They're holding everybody up and shots have been fired."

"Did she tell you where?" Mac asked, grabbing his jacket and ushering the two out of the office and towards the elevator.

Stella nodded. "Lead the way," Mac exclaimed. He pulled out his cell phone and alerted the police of the situation. The three of them piled into an SUV and Stella screeched out of the parking lot.

Danny sat in the backseat praying as hard as he knew how. A sick feeling rested in the pit of his stomach. _I can't lose her now! _He thought. Every single memory of Lindsay flashed through his head all at once. Her with a fried tarantula leg dangling out of her mouth, the way she felt in his arms after her impromptu undercover job, waking up next to her on his pool table. The closer they got to the drug store the more afraid he became. He loved her. He knew that, but he'd never told her. What if he never got the chance? He'd pushed her away and if she died without knowing how he felt it'd be his own fault.

Mac turned around in his seat and glanced at his distraught employee. "It'll be ok, Danny." He assured him, hoping that it really would be.

There were several police cars surrounding the small drug store that was just around the block from Lindsay's apartment. When the CSIs arrived, two uniformed cops were escorting the robbers out of the store and into squad cars.

As soon as Stella had parked, Danny leapt out of the backseat and ran into the building.

"Hey! You can't go in there," a cop yelled after him.

"It's ok," Mac said, flashing his badge. "He's a cop."

Once inside the store, Danny searched up and down the aisles for Lindsay. There were several people still inside, all of them looking terrified out of their minds. A 30- something year old man knelt sobbing by his obviously dead significant other. Danny's breath caught in his through and his heart pounded uncomfortably. Was that going to be him in a few minutes?

"Danny?" The small voice that came from behind him was music to his ears.

He whirled around and promptly began to cry when he saw Lindsay standing there, shaken, but uninjured. He crushed her petite frame to his chest and let his tears flow unashamed. Lindsay's arms wrapped around him and he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt. He stroked her hair, but was unable to form words at this point.

After a few moments of holding Lindsay in his arms, Danny pulled away and held her at arms length so that he could look into her eyes and make sure that she really was ok. Once he was satisfied, he pulled her back against his chest. "I love you," he said, unable to hold back any longer. "I know that I screwed up, Montana, but I love you and I always have and I always will. I'm so sorry for everything and I want to make this up to you, but if you want us just to be friends, I'll understand." Saying that last part nearly killed him, but he felt it was necessary to let her know that he knew that this whole situation was his fault and that she was the one who got to make the final decision on this.

"You already have," Lindsay spoke for the first time since her initial utterance of his name.

"What?" he asked as she lifted her head to look up at him.

"You've already made it up to me," she smiled through the tears that still glistened in her eyes. "I love you." With that, she rose up onto her tiptoes and kissed a very shocked and unbelieving Danny. Needless to say, her kiss shocked him into believing that this was really happening. She was really ok and she loved him.

After kissing her for a few moments, Danny pulled away once more and kissed her on the forehead. "Let's get out of here." He looked around at all the commotion that they had been ignoring and suddenly wanted nothing more than to take his beautiful Montana home.

Lindsay nodded and bent to pick up the bag that contained her purchase. "I was on my way out when they came in," she explained quietly. In response, Danny wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulder and began to lead her towards the door.

Danny only released Lindsay to let her go hug Stella, and even then he hovered unnecessarily close to her.

"Can I take her home?" he asked Mac while the ladies bonded and Lindsay quickly relayed her story.

Mac nodded sympathetically, smiling to himself that they had obviously worked their problems out.

Once at Lindsay's apartment, she dropped the bag from the drugstore and her purse on the table. The item she'd bought peeked out of the side of the bag and Danny stepped closer to check if it really was what he thought he was seeing.

"Danny," Lindsay's eyes widened in horror as she watched him pull the home pregnancy test out of the bag.

Danny calmly turned to look at her. "Is it mine?" he asked. He knew it was a horrible thing to say after all she'd been through, but he had to know for sure.

"Yes," she said impatiently, sounding a little hurt as she snatched the box from his hand. "Of course it's yours. You may have been being a jerk but that didn't make me want to go sleep with some random guy." She twirled the box in her hand. "And I don't even know for sure. It may be a false alarm."

"I know, I'm sorry," Danny pulled her close. "I didn't think that you'd go sleep with some random other guy."

Lindsay shyly looked up at him. "What if I am pregnant?" she asked timidly. "Will you be ok with it?"

"Of course, Montana," he said, truly meaning it. "I love you and want to have a family with you. Sure, it may not have been the best of timing, but I love you and I'll love any children that we have."

Lindsay smiled. "So, I guess I should go pee on a stick?"

"I guess so, Montana." Danny smiled as she sauntered off to the beginning. Everything was finally as it should be.

**A/N Weird ending. Sorry. This just popped into my head and I'm not so sure how I feel about it. Review and tell me what you think please. **

**xoxo**

**Lia**


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